July 30, Friday SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME God gave feasts to the Jews and to us not merely to celebrate God’s wonderful deeds of the past but to relive them in the present and to draw strength from them for the future. Modern society has largely lost the sense of festivity. We go […]
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Reflection: Matthew 13: 54-58 After the “Discourse of the parables” (Mt 13: 1-52), the Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus in the synagogue of his native, in Nazareth, rejected by the people who knew him well. Nazareth is the place of faith, because it is the place where that famous response to the invitation of God […]
July 29, Thursday SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME To serve without being asked, to be ready for others. To be given little publicity but to work backstage. Not to ask for honours and pass on the shoulder but to do one’s work quietly. This is how she followed the Lord. And her faith was […]
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Reflection: John 11:19-27 Today, is the first time the Church celebrates the memoria of the siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Recognizing their welcome of and witness to Christ, Pope Francis has approved changing the liturgical feast of St. Martha on July 29 to include her sister and brother, Mary and Lazarus, on the church’s universal […]
July 28, Wednesday SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME The radiance on the face of Moses indicates his intimate relationship with God. He is the prophet, the leader, the mediator between the people and God, the reconciler. The two parables of today’s stress, each in its own way, that one should give up everything in order […]
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Reflection: Matthew 13:44-46 In the old days, in the imminence of war or of an enemy’s invasion, rich people tried to hide their treasure boxes and valuables under the floors of houses before fleeing the place, with a hope to recover them on their return. Many times, the owners could not return and someone else […]
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EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B Introduction A person’s dream has always been to have life eternal life. To achieve this, Gilgamesh, the hero of Mesopotamian literature, had challenged the monster Humbaba in the garden of cedars. Then he went down the abyss of the seas to take possession of the grass called […]
July 27, Tuesday SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Exodus gives us here a beautiful example of God’s tender covenant love for his sometimes-wayward people. He keeps protecting them and being present to them (hence, the cloud). His presence is very intimate especially for Moses. Hence, the radiance of Moses’ face. Jesus explains the parable […]
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Reflection: Matthew 13: 36-43 The evangelist is introducing an application to the parables of Jesus. Jesus is back home with his disciples. The explanation is not given to the crowd but to his small group of disciples. When the scene moves from the original parable of the seeds and weeds to its explanation, there is […]
July 26, Monday SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Cued by the Bible, in many languages “to worship (or adore) the golden calf” means to be inordinately after money and riches. In the Bible, it means to try to make oneself a god in the image of the human person, a god that one can […]